Published: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 12:11 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 12:11 p.m.

‘The Summer Girls’

In Mary Alice Monroe’s “The Summer Girls” (Gallery Books, $16), Marietta “Mamaw” Muir is turning 80 and about to move into a retirement facility. Before she goes, though, she invites her three granddaughters, Dora, Carson and Harper, down for one last summer at Sea Breeze, the old family beach house on Sullivan’s Island, S.C.

All three women need a break. Dora has been deserted by her banker husband and is worn down caring for an autistic 9-year-old. Carson, the artistic free spirit, is out of a job, out of a relationship and lost. Harper, the New Yorker, is wilting under the shadow of her imperious, British-born mother.

The trio reunites, with the expected sparks and the revealing of some unexpected secrets. (Many of these involve the women’s father, Parker, a self-destructive alcoholic and failed novelist.) Romance, however, is also in the air.

Monroe (“The Butterfly’s Daughter,” “Last Light Over Carolina”) deftly juggles the essentials of the “chick-lit” genre. As in many of Monroe’s books, there’s also a strong environmental streak. Carson, a surfer, makes friends with a dolphin, and readers learn a lot about dolphins’ habits.

‘Wrightsville Beach: The Luminous Island’

Ray McAllister (John F. Blair, $19.95), a longtime columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, has been visiting Wrightsville Beach for years, and he’s clearly been infected by the place. He covers all the island’s legends – the big bands at Lumina Pavilion, the alleged pirate booty buried at Money Island, the year Trouble the sperm whale washed ashore and a few new ones he dug up as well.

Chapters cover such topics as the Wrightsville Beach Coast Guard station, the blockade runners sunk just off the beach and, of course, Hurricane Hazel.

<p class="bold allcaps">'The Summer Girls'</p>
<p>In Mary Alice Monroe's “The Summer Girls” (Gallery Books, $16), Marietta “Mamaw” Muir is turning 80 and about to move into a retirement facility. Before she goes, though, she invites her three granddaughters, Dora, Carson and Harper, down for one last summer at Sea Breeze, the old family beach house on Sullivan's Island, S.C.</p><p>All three women need a break. Dora has been deserted by her banker husband and is worn down caring for an autistic 9-year-old. Carson, the artistic free spirit, is out of a job, out of a relationship and lost. Harper, the New Yorker, is wilting under the shadow of her imperious, British-born mother. </p><p>The trio reunites, with the expected sparks and the revealing of some unexpected secrets. (Many of these involve the women's father, Parker, a self-destructive alcoholic and failed novelist.) Romance, however, is also in the air.</p><p>Monroe (“The Butterfly's Daughter,” “Last Light Over Carolina”) deftly juggles the essentials of the “chick-lit” genre. As in many of Monroe's books, there's also a strong environmental streak. Carson, a surfer, makes friends with a dolphin, and readers learn a lot about dolphins' habits.</p><h3>'Wrightsville Beach: The Luminous Island'</h3>
<p>Ray McAllister (John F. Blair, $19.95), a longtime columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, has been visiting Wrightsville Beach for years, and he's clearly been infected by the place. He covers all the island's legends – the big bands at Lumina Pavilion, the alleged pirate booty buried at Money Island, the year Trouble the sperm whale washed ashore and a few new ones he dug up as well. </p><p>Chapters cover such topics as the Wrightsville Beach Coast Guard station, the blockade runners sunk just off the beach and, of course, <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/hurricane"><b>Hurricane</b></a> Hazel.</p><p>For beach lovers, this makes an ideal gift book.</p>